Fortunately, there are several ways to track St. Nick so you can see when he's scheduled to arrive in various parts of the world. Whether you prefer a website, an app, social media or even an old-school phone call, it's easy to track Santa's progress and see where he's headed next. Track Santa now with the NORAD Santa Tracker.
Live updates:
10:55 a.m. ET Dec. 24: Santa heads for Thailand
Santa has just left Johor Bahru, Malaysia and can be seen heading for Hat Yai, Thailand. So far, he’s delivered around 1.5 billion gifts.
12:10 p.m. ET Dec. 24: From Maldives to India
Santa’s sleigh and his eight reindeer can now be seen traveling toward India. They are expected to arrive in Bangalore by 12:12 p.m.
2:12 p.m. ET Dec. 24: East Africa
Father Christmas is moving quickly. He is leaving Kenya and will be arriving in Ethopia, known as the Horn of Africa, in a matter of seconds.
3:16 p.m. ET Dec. 24: Flying over the pyramids
Already Santa has deliver nearly 3 billion gifts across the world. The man in red was last seen coasting above the pyramids of Egypt and is headed for Eritrea, a country in northeast Africa.
6:45 p.m. ET Dec. 24: The way to Wales
Santa is leaving London and heading for Wales. Pretty soon he will be onto Scotland and then heading for Ireland.
7:54 p.m. ET Dec. 24: Down south, South America that is
It’s been a smooth journey for Santa and his reindeer as they approached South America. Now his sleigh is trekking across the skies in Argentina.
8:46 p.m. ET Dec. 24: Onto the Netherlands
Santa was last seen in Sint Maarten a kingdom nestled inside the Netherlands. Next stop, Greenland and lots of ice!
10:10 p.m. ET Dec. 24: Santa is in the United States
It’s almost midnight and Santa has reached Florida. His sleigh and eight reindeer were last seen in Key west and now they’re on their way to Tampa! Over 5 billion gifts have been delivered. Onward!
With advance warning of Santa's approach, kids will have plenty of time to get to bed and fall asleep before he's set to arrive.
The oldest way to track Santa is about as advanced as you can get. NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, is normally tasked with detecting potential attacks from missiles, aircraft or space vehicles. But for more than 60 years, the U.S.-Canadian joint operation has taken on the additional mission of tracking Santa and his sleigh on Christmas Eve. Apparently, Rudolph's infrared nose helps reveal their precise location. Don't worry about Santa, though – NORAD certainly knows the difference between a missile and the sleigh!
NORAD tracks Santa's journey in eight different languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Chinese.
NORAD's posts on social media sites like Facebook also help update the public on the big guy's progress and let watchers know where he was spotted most recently and where he's expected to visit next. They also sometimes include additional intelligence information, such as the fact that they believe Santa weighs about 260 pounds (before cookies).
Kids who want to track Santa on their phones or borrow their parents' can download the NORAD Tracks Santa app on iTunes and Google Play. Games, stories and other fun content is also available.
And don't panic if your internet goes down. You can call 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) starting at 6 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on Christmas Eve to get Santa tracking updates from a live person.
Of course, you probably use Google to search for everything else, so why not Santa? Google's Santa Tracker has been on the job for 15 years and in addition to tracking offers lots of Santa's Village content starting in early December.
Kids can create a card by programming their own snowflakes and learn Santa lingo and holiday traditions from around the world. You'll also find a countdown clock and be able to track Santa starting on Dec. 24.
Finally, if you have Alexa or Google Home, you can ask "Where is Santa?" and get an answer.
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